October is the perfect time to pick up new horror books, and there are plenty of great 2024 releases to get readers in the Halloween spirit. The most-anticipated horror books of the year include everything from slashers to supernatural scares, and the best of the bunch will leave you looking over your shoulder. There are some truly eerie additions to 2024’s horror lineup, from stories that feature mysterious forces in the wildness to ones about houses plagued by inexplicable incidents.
The spooky books readers choose will depend on their preferences, but 2024 really does have something for every type of horror reader. There are lighter stories that boast thrilling scares, and there are more graphic and extreme narratives for seasoned horror lovers. Some are by well-known authors, while others are penned by newer additions to the genre. All of them can set the mood for Halloween, though, leaning into the holiday’s themes.
10 Incidents Around The House
Written By Josh Malerman
Bird Box author Josh Malerman knows how to give readers chills, and Incidents Around the House does exactly that. Malerman’s June 2024 release follows an eight-year-old girl who regularly communicates with a malignant entity called “Other Mommy.” And despite how many times such horror tropes crop up, they never get any less creepy. Bela’s circumstances are already spooky, and Other Mommy pushing Bela to let her inside her heart takes that to another level.
Its central premise feels just like a horror movie, and it will definitely get you in the mood for Halloween.
When Other Mommy becomes frustrated with Bela’s reluctance, she begins to make strange and scary incidents happen around the house, just as the book’s title suggests. Things get increasingly worse as Bela’s family starts to fracture, leaving her vulnerable to this supernatural being. Those who love hauntings won’t want to miss out on Incidents Around the House, and October is the ideal time to pick it up. Its central premise feels just like a horror movie, and it will definitely get you in the mood for Halloween.
9 We Used To Live Here
Written By Marcus Kliewer
There’s no shortage of haunted house stories available in 2024, and Marcus Kliewer’s newest horror book puts a fun spin on the traditional horror narrative. We Used to Live Here hit shelves in June 2024, and it takes the concept of house-flipping to all new heights. Pitched for fans of Get Out and Parasite, We Used to Live Here follows a queer couple as they purchase a stunning old house to flip. It seems like a great opportunity, at least until a family knocks on the door and asks if they can look around their old home.
Once the family enters, unsettling things begin to happen on Charlie and Eve’s property. From disappearances to ghosts, the family seems to conjure up inexplicable incidents — and once they’re in, they don’t actually want to leave. With a unique premise and spooky mystery at its core, We Used to Live Here is the perfect October pick-up. This book succeeds at being scary, and its strange occurrences will keep even seasoned horror readers up at night. There are also plenty of twists and turns, making it easy to fly through.
8 The Unmothers
Written By Leslie J. Anderson
Folk horror movies use their atmosphere and themes to give off spooky vibes, and The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson takes that same approach in book form. The Unmothers follows a grieving journalist as she travels to the town of Raeford for a story. Marshall thinks the job is absurd, as her editor sends her there after hearing a horse gave birth to a human child. While Marshall doesn’t initially think much of the rumor, time in Raeford makes her question her initial instincts. Things get even more unsettling when two mutilated bodies — a human’s and a horse’s — are discovered.
As Marshall realizes there is something worth covering here, she digs deeper into this mystery. Doing so threatens to unearth secrets surrounding the women of Raeford, exposing their anger and trauma. Those who enjoy horror with feminist themes will fall easily into The Unmothers, making it a great October read for them. It’s a disturbing one, too, promising to leave readers thinking about it long after it’s finished.
7 Horror Movie
Written By Paul Tremblay
October is the perfect time to watch horror movies, and it’s also a great time to dive into Paul Tremblay’s new book, Horror Movie. The author’s latest release is one of the biggest books of June 2024, and that’s for good reason. Horror Movie is a “cursed film” story that begins with a group of young artists making a film. However, things take a turn for the worse when disturbing incidents happening on set. Indeed, only one cast member survives the production process, and only three of the movie’s scenes are released.
This doesn’t stop it from becoming a cult hit, and people eventually begin demanding a reboot. This forces the one remaining actor to dredge up old traumas, and it also sparks a new set of problems on set of the new film. With this chilling setup, Horror Movie promises plenty of scares. It’s a great story for horror movie buffs, but anyone can enjoy Tremblay’s 2024 hit.
6 The Z Word
Written By Lindsay King-Miller
The spookiest horror books tend to revolve around hauntings, but zombie novels can pack an equally powerful punch. Lindsay King-Miller’s The Z Word is a fun, queer zombie novel that’s been likened to 2009’s Zombieland. The Z Word follows Wendy, a bisexual woman who’s navigating a newly ended relationship and the LGBTQ+ scene of San Lazaro, Arizona. She finds herself running into her ex, Leah, as she’s part of her friend group. And the entire group soon realizes they’re surrounded by zombie-like creatures.
Whatever’s causing humans to turn into zombies spreads, and the gang must work together to stop them and save Pride. King-Miller’s book is as humorous as it sounds, but it also has plenty of action and suspense that’s perfect for horror aficionados. It’s spooky, but in a different way than many of 2024’s other horror releases. That makes it an ideal choice for horror fans looking for something different this October.
5 Cult Following
Written By J. W. Ocker
J.W. Ocker has a history of penning horror stories, but the author is also known for non-fiction books like Poe-land and Cursed Objects. Ocker added another non-fiction book to his lineup in September 2024, and Cult Following is spooky despite being about real-world events. In his latest release, Ocker tackles various cults that have cropped up over the years, like the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate. It uses these examples to answer a bigger question: why people are drawn to such groups.
It may not seem as scary as 2024’s horror releases on the surface. However, the fact that it’s based on real incidents makes it even more unsettling.
In this way, Cult Following straddles the line between psychology and sociology, exploring the circumstances that allow cults to form — and unpacking why people buy into them. The fact that these groups can be dangerous and hide in plain sight is an eerie revelation, making this a solid non-fiction read for Halloween. It may not seem as scary as 2024’s horror releases on the surface. However, the fact that it’s based on real incidents makes it even more unsettling.
4 Diavola
Written By Jennifer Thorne
Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola is among the most-discussed horror releases from 2024, and the book’s spooky nature is obvious from its cover alone. Like We Used to Live Here, Diavola puts a unique spin on the traditional haunted house narrative. The book takes place at the Pace family’s vacation home, where Anna is just trying to get through another getaway with her family. This is made difficult when odd things start happening at their Monteperso-based villa, suggesting there could be something dangerous afoot.
Diavola is as creepy as any other haunted house story — perhaps even more so — but it also benefits from its focus on dysfunctional family relationships. These dynamics make it stand out from other 2024 horror releases, and they’re sure to entertain readers who pick this book up. Meanwhile, the chilling aspects of the villa make this a great choice for the weeks leading up to Halloween.
3 Small Town Horror
Written By Ronald Malfi
Ronald Malfi is a go-to author for all things spooky, and his 2024 book doesn’t disappoint. Small Town Horror brings five childhood friends back to their home to face down a past event that left them cursed. This is especially upsetting to Andrew Larimer, who is trying to move on from his previous mistakes. The narrative alternates between the past and present, building the suspense and alluding to supernatural elements along the way.
For readers who enjoy exploring small, tight-knit communities plagued by dark secrets,
Small Town Horror
is the story to dive into this October.
For readers who enjoy exploring small, tight-knit communities plagued by dark secrets, Small Town Horror is the atmospheric story to dive into this October. It offers a good mix of horror and thriller elements, and the twists are genuinely surprising. Goodreads reviewers are comparing it to I Know What You Did Last Summer and It, so it’s a must-read for fans of horror classics.
2 This Wretched Valley
Written By Jenny Kiefer
Survival horror is another creepy subgenre — just look at shows like Yellowjackets — and Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley is a standout in the category. The January 2024 book is about Dylan and three other climbers who set out to scale an untouched cliff face somewhere in Kentucky. Months later, Dylan is nowhere to be found — and the bodies of her three companions are discovered mutilated on the side of the road. This raises questions about what happened during their journey, setting the stage for a gripping story from start to finish.
And This Wretched Valley delivers, with enough suspenseful moments to keep readers engaged throughout its run. The book is scary on multiple levels, highlighting the terrors of the wilderness and exploring the supernatural. Needless to say, survival horror fans will want to check out Kiefer’s latest — and there’s no better time to do so than October.
1 Cuckoo
Written By Gretchen Felker-Martin
Cuckoo can be classified as “extreme horror,” so it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. However, Gretchen Felker-Martin’s 2024 book is worth checking out for those who don’t mind leaning into terror, difficult topics, and gore. Set during the ’90s, Cuckoo follows five queer children sent to a conversion camp that promises to “fix” them. They face cruelty at the hands of the religious extremists who run the camp, but they also realize there’s a deeper evil at play. And when it resurfaces years later, they’re forced to confront and destroy it.
Cuckoo is disturbing and hard to read at times, but the conversations the book raises are worthwhile. The conversion camp setting emphasizes human-made horrors, while the book’s more mysterious presence uses supernatural terrors to keep readers on edge. This balance works incredibly well for Cuckoo, cementing it as a must-read horror book from 2024.
